Claims
- 1. Well control apparatus including a valve device with an upper and lower marginal end connected to an elongated tubing means and positioned downhole in a borehole for conducting fluid flow from a lower part of the borehole to the surface of the ground, a packer device associated with the valve device which divides the borehole into an upper and a lower annulus, means placing the upper marginal end of the valve device in communication with the upper borehole annulus and the lower marginal end of the valve device is in communication with the lower borehole annulus;
- said valve device including an outer annular housing, an annular mandrel slidably received within said housing, at least one mandrel port formed through the sidewall of the lower marginal end of the mandrel, at least one port formed through the sidewall of the lower marginal end of the housing, seal means by which the lower marginal end of the mandrel sealingly and slidably cooperate with the lower marginal end of the housing such that when a mandrel port is brought into registry with a housing port, a flow path is established from the lower annulus and through the aligned ports into the mandrel; and, when the mandrel port is slidably moved and positioned with the ports being misaligned respective to one another, flow from the lower annulus into the mandrel is precluded;
- a power chamber formed between the mandrel and the housing, a power piston attached to said mandrel and slidably received within said power chamber, said piston dividing said power chamber into upper and lower variable chambers;
- means for effecting the upper annulus pressure within said upper variable chamber;
- latch means by which said mandrel is latched into a plurality of different vertically spaced latch positions as the mandrel is moved respective to the housing, pressure responsive means by which said latch means is released when the upper annulus pressure is increased to a first magnitude of pressure;
- said latch positions being spaced apart an amount whereby when the mandrel is forced downhole a first distance in response to a first pressure increase, the sliding valve assembly moves to an opened position, and when said mandrel is moved downhole a second distance in response to a second pressure increase, the sliding valve assembly moves to a closed position.
- 2. A wellbore apparatus responsive to changes in well annulus pressure, said apparatus including a well annulus packer for isolating the well annulus from a formation fluid, said apparatus comprising:
- a cylindrical housing containing a shoulder, said cylindrical housing having a first portion defining a first and second port, and said cylindrical housing having a second portion defining a plurality of apertures;
- an operating mandrel with a first and second end, said operating mandrel being slidingly, releasably disposed within said cylindrical housing, said operating mandrel containing on the first end:
- a portion defining a plurality of detents, a power piston sub being attached to said operating mandrel, said operating mandrel with said power piston sub and said cylindrical housing forming a first and second chamber; and a plurality of apertures formed at the second end of said operating mandrel;
- means for anchoring said operating mandrel relative to said cylindrical housing so that the apertures of said operating mandrel are not aligned with the aperture of said cylindrical housing;
- means for moving said power piston sub longitudinally upward so that the apertures of said operating mandrel are aligned with the apertures of cylindrical housing;
- a disengaging sleeve disposed about said operating mandrel and slidably mounted within said cylindrical housing, said disengaging sleeve containing a first end and a second end, the first end containing a metering bore with a shoulder and the second end containing a frusto-conical shoulder which cooperates with said anchoring means;
- means for axially urging said disengaging sleeve downward in order to contact said anchoring means; and
- means for biasing said disengaging sleeve upward so that said disengaging sleeve is no longer contacting said anchoring means.
- 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said first portion defining the first and second port on said cylindrical housing is disposed above the well annulus packer, and the second portion defining a plurality of apertures on said cylindrical housing is disposed below the well annulus packer.
- 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said means for anchoring said operating mandrel relative to said cylindrical housing comprises:
- a plurality of collet fingers containing a first end and a second end, the first end containing a shoulder which engages the detents and the second end being securely attached to said cylindrical housing.
- 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said means for moving said power piston sub longitudinally upward comprises:
- a floating piston adjacent to the second port of said cylindrical housing, said floating piston being disposed within the second chamber and being responsive to well annulus pressure, and said floating piston in said second chamber forming relative to said cylindrical housing and said operating mandrel a first half chamber and second half chamber of said second chamber, the second half chamber containing a compressible liquid; and
- a metering orifice containing an inlet and outlet being disposed within said cylindrical housing, said metering orifice inlet being adjacent to said second half chamber of said second chamber so that compressible liquid in said second half chamber of said second chamber is transmitted therethrough, said metering orifice outlet forming a passageway in order to transmit said compressible liquid.
- 6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said means of axially urging said disengaging sleeve downward comprises:
- a free piston adjacent to said first port slidably disposed about said operating mandrel, said free piston and said operating mandrel forming a third and fourth chamber;
- means for biasing said free piston within the fourth chamber;
- a compressible liquid placed in said fourth chamber so that as well annulus pressure is increased, said free piston acts against the biasing means and transmits increase fluid pressure to said compressible liquid in said fourth chamber; and
- wherein said cylindrical housing and operating mandrel form a passageway with an inlet and outlet, said passageway being adjacent to said fourth chamber so that as pressure in the fourth chamber is increased, the fluid is transmitted to the outlet of said passageway and flows through said metering bore of said disengaging sleeve.
- 7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said means for biasing said disengaging sleeve upward comprises:
- a helical spring with a first end and second end, said spring being disposed about said disengaging sleeve; and
- wherein the first end of said helical spring abuts the shoulder of the metering bore of said disengaging sleeve, and the second end of said spring abuts the shoulder of said cylindrical housing, so that a hydrostatic pressure is increased and transmitted thru said first port, said spring is in compression, which allows the disengaging sleeve to move downward and as hydrostatic pressure is released, the spring expands and moves said disengaging sleeve axially upward so that the disengaging sleeve no longer contacts said collet fingers.
- 8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said compressible liquid is silicone oil.
- 9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said compressible liquid is silicone oil.
Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 587,582, filed Sep. 11, 1990, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 781,410, filed Sep. 27, 1985, both abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (19)
Continuations (2)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
587582 |
Sep 1990 |
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Parent |
781410 |
Sep 1985 |
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